Starkville Community Theatre presents “An Evening Celebrating Mississippi Writers” at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Playhouse on Main in downtown Starkville. The event includes readings by area authors, followed by a one-act play by Tennessee Williams, featuring Cherri Golden and Melanie Tubbs, both of Columbus.
Authors John W. Bateman, director of the Starkville Area Arts Council; T.K. Lee, Mississippi University for Women assistant professor of English/creative writing; and writer and artist Laurie Parker, all of Starkville, will read excerpts from their selected works. A panel Q-and-A session follows. Copies of each author’s works will be available for purchase before and after the panel.
Lee said events such as this are a way to encourage the state’s own talent.
“(This is) a wonderful way to make Mississippi unique in nurturing writers, especially the exciting new voices,” he said.
After a brief intermission, Golden and Tubbs will present “Something Unspoken,” a one-act play penned by Williams, born in Columbus in 1911. Its story centers around a grand but fading Southern belle and her long-suffering personal secretary. The actresses first presented the play during September’s Tennessee Williams Tribute in Columbus.
The evening showcase brings attention to the state’s rich literary tradition.
Parker said, “I truly think I couldn’t have been born in a better place to be a writer. On perhaps a more poetical level, I also feel our state has a mysterious allure, something in the trees that Wordsworth himself would have found inspiring.”
Bateman believes storytelling is just in the water.
“Sometimes I think it’s more like baptism by fire than nurturing. But maybe that doesn’t matter,” he said. “Storytelling is in the ground water.”
Lee added, “We have a thriving arts presence in the state, and great strides have been made and are continuing to be made in that area — organizations like SCT, for instance, who are willing to take chances on new plays by emerging playwrights.”
How to go
Tickets are $10; all funds support SCT programming. Seating is limited. Make advance reservations by calling the box office, 662-323-6855. Leave a message; calls will be returned. The box office will be open today and Friday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
The Playhouse on Main is located at 108 E. Main St. in downtown Starkville.
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